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Pentecoastal
A religious settlement on the Gulf Belt, it was named as a portmanteau of Pentecostal and Pensacola. They begrudgingly trade with merchants for goods they don't produce, but all must obey God's law. History Marshall Bunter was a traveling laborer, migrating around the Gulf in search of labor. He would spend all day in the fields or ruins, working his hands raw, and spend all his wages at night in the bottle. He had lived like this for 12 of his 26 years, and might have spent his life like this, if not for a sudden storm. It surprised Marshall, who at first tried to outrun it, before finally seeking refuge in a ruin nearby. The ruin turned out to be a highway-side church, and it provided decent protection from the elements. Marshall huddled near the altar, and bid his mind with a Bible he found. He was only partially literate, having only been taught the alphabet, he struggled through Genesis, and was captivated by idea of an anthropomorphic God (not that he had ever heard the term before). By the time he began Exodus, the storm had passed and the sky had opened up, showing him the way into the ruins of the town. He felt a deep correlation between himself and the stories in the book; his slavery was Alcohol, and he had wandered in its wilderness for most of his life. When he wandered into the remains of Pascagoula, he saw beyond the rubble and debris; he was standing in Canaan. He wandered around the ruins for the next few days, looking over where the people were when they died, before stopping in a church. It was of a Baptist denomination formerly, and the cross had fallen from the altar since the war. Bunter took that as a sign, that not only had faith fallen, but so did the churches. The pomp and ceremony of a Jacksonia mass may be enough to satisfy the pigs of The Royaume, but it was empty for him. Fortunately for him, he would find a pamphlet on Pentecostalism, and it's emphasis on the 'Jesus Ghost' as he called it. Trudging his way over it again and again, he believed he understood it. He then left the ruins and traveled the region, preaching at every stop he made. He at first met little success, being greeted with jeers and insults, he would eventually develop a small following after a decade. He lead these faithful back to Pascagoula (which he still mistakenly believed was Pensacola). They arrived in the town on May 4th, 2167, and Bunter renamed it "Pentecoastal" in honor of his dream for the town. It would not be an easy one however; their first project, clearing out living space, often brought them into mutant dens and surprising the occasional raider. Dealing with these swift and violently, they managed to open up a neighborhood near the church. Food would be a much harder issue to solve however, with most of the town below or near sea-level it would be hard for traditional crops to grow. They tried several different plants before realizing the potential of vine-based crops. They set up three tents around town for the food, and several people began to care for them regularly. Water would be a greater challenge, with several people dying before it rained. They managed to store some of the water, but it ran out within the week. They would at first trade with the various merchants that came into the town, but never trusted their manner. Their prayers were solved in 2169 with the arrival of a heretical Technocrat, fleeing persecution in Scott's Town. The man created their de-salinated from left over parts, and was welcomed joyfully into the community. He masked his disbelieve in religion by working in the town's library until his death, which was named in his memory afterwards. The town rebuilt slowly over the next few decades, attracting some and making contacts with merchants until Bunter's death in 2200. Between then and the election of the new preacher, the horde of Matthias Dugan found it easy peas to conquer, though the warlord allowed them to live, as long as they paid tribute. This was a dark chapter in the town's history as the threat of utter destruction hungover their heads at all times, prayers were constant for protection. After the death of the cyborg, another Pastor was chosen, and life continued for a few years, until a case of adultry occurred. Previous sinners had been firmly, but peacefully, ejected. The new Pastor, Irvine Cloelum, interpreted the Book much more strictly than Bunter did, especially in the wake of Dugan's rampage, and both the cheating husband and his mistress were stoned to death. This stricter tone would take hold of the town slowly for the next thirty years and well after Cloelum's death in 2231. Even with the election of the town's next pastor, Nathan Williams, the townsfolk continued to hold their narrow-interpretation of the Books, and would kill most sinners, as well as merchants by 2250. By this point their previous trade contracts were long broken and the town became even more isolated. They stayed like this until a famine in 2265 forced them to reopen themselves to trade. They did plant signs around the town however, warning travelers and merchants what they would and wouldn't tolerate. A public trial of a famous Rafter captain showed they would enforce their laws, but they tried to stay peaceful. Since then the town has been open to the world, preaching to visitors as they eye-up trouble makers. They continue to protect travelers from pirates, but those same people would do well to leave town right after, for fear of offense. Their have been recent fears about the Orange Slavers, but they have managed to hold out since 2280. They have recently encountered the Brethren of the Shroud, and view them as the embodiment of sin, killing any mutants they see. They have considered making formal contact with the Klansmen Confederacy, but see some of their views as directly contradictory with God's. Government The townspeople have no official leader, viewing themselves and the few others of their faith as equal in God's eyes. The minister wields a great deal of influence however, and are often de facto Judges when trying outsiders. Whenever a crisis faces the town, the citizens convene in a town hall meeting where everyone is given a turn to speak. When a law is supposedly broken, a townsperson will alert others and the minister, who will usually throw together a impromptu trial. If found guilty, they face either death or exile and excommunication. Relations The people have chilly relations with other nearby settlements, looking down on the Cubans in Rumrunner Bay and the Klansmen Confederacy as heathens and sinners. They are somewhat more friendly with the Rafters coming off of The Belt, but few linger in town longer than they have to. They likewise view Luke of Orange and his slavers as a horde of demons, threatening to take all good people to hell (though that didn't stop them from rejoicing as Waveland was took). The unwavering belief in the inerrancy of scripture they posses makes them few friends with the more scientifically inclined of the region. They have maintained chilly but open relations with the Psuedo-Aristocracy of Ewing Bay, reviling their lifestyle and the Royaume they imulate, the townspeople recognize their need for the outsider's goods, and trade with the former. Economy The community deals mainly in food and water, with the production of those being the work for most people. They have some gardens around town that mostly grow grapes, tomatoes and other vine-based plants. They purify their water in long metal tanks divided into equal sections throughout, with a sheet of heavy plastic covering the exposed top. Water is taken from the Gulf every morning and deposited in the tanks, and the heat causes the water to evaporate, leaving behind the sodium and radioactive sediments, with the steam being caught by a drip-tray. They trade mainly with independent Rafters but since 2268 have been dealing with the smugglers and 'aristocrats' of Ewing Bay, buying every mechanical item the heathens can find. Category:Places Category:Communities Category:Mississippi Category:Cults